The story “Sonny’s Blues “is about two brothers that deal with racism. In dealing with their issues they both suffer and survive in their family and community. Their stories are a strong impact on their character and how they deal with their pain. Sonny chooses a more damaging means of racism, such as drug addiction to heroin; although, he does find a better choice music! The older brother, the narrator, James Baldwin, goes to college to become a teacher, and give back to his community in Harlem.
"Paul’s Case." Short Stories for Students. Ed. Kathleen Wilson. Vol.
Detroit: Gale, 1997. 192-209. Short Stories for Students. Gale. Web.
Sonny's Blues isn't a story of two brothers living in a rough city; one of whom is a talented musician. The story is so much more, it's the point of tossing the main two stereotypes of African-Americans in an urban environment. The brothers cope with their own suffering and the suffering around them in two very different, but not uncommon ways. The story is told through the eyes of Sonny's older brother, who's name we never disclose. What we do know is the narrators currently a algebra teacher, married with kids, and some of his history that gives us insight to the mans personality.
In “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin, Baldwin discusses how people never really know how much they need to appreciate a family member, until they actually really need that person. Sonny’s brother is determined to fix the relationship with him, but instead of doing it in a friendship/brotherly way, he does it in a psychological way. The story describes the complicated relationship between two brothers, who don’t really know each other very well. The narrator learns from a newspaper on the train that his younger brother, Sonny, has recently been incarcerated. The narrator currently works at an elementary school and after the day is over, he spots one of Sonny’s old friends hanging around outside of the school.
Although Langston Hughes is a successful African American poet, he, like many other Harlemites, faces obstacles and opposition along his journey through life; however, Hughes embraces his hardships and infuses his life experiences into poetical works that his fellow African Americans can relate to on some level. In both his poems “Mother to Son” and “Lenox Avenue: Midnight” Hughes reveals the constant struggle of a typical African American living during the 1920’s. In “Mother to Son” Hughes expresses the desperation of a mother who is anxious for her son to succeed. In the poem the mother hopes to offer her son encouraging words and impart to him the wisdom and knowledge she gains through persevering. While in the latter poem, “Lenox Avenue: Midnight,” Hughes reveals the cultural aspects of a city during the Harlem Renaissance and conveys the emotions of a quintessential African American Harlemite based on his own his experiences as an African American poet living in Harlem, NY.
Detroit: Gale, 1997. 171-72. Print. Korb, Rena. “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Criticism.” Short Stories for Students.
Brothers tend to grow apart yet eventually find a way to revive an old beat up relationship. These brothers grew up on the rough streets of Harlem and went their separate ways. Sonny was a drug-addicted musician and his older brother was a high school algebra teacher with a family. The way the two brothers reunite through addiction, memories and strife make their bond seem stronger than ever. Sonny’s Blues, by James Baldwin, is a story about enlightenment through brotherhood when Sonny and his brother go to the club.
Ed. Sara Constantakis. Detroit: Gale, 2009. 281-283. Michelle Tokarczyk, Critical Essay on “The Writer in the Family,” in Short Stories for Students.
The Evolution of a Relationship through Music In "Sonny's Blues", theme, form, and image blend into perfect harmony and rise to a thundering climax. The story, written in 1957 carries a vital social message for us today. It tells of two black brothers' struggle to understand one another. The older brother, a well-off Harlem algebra teacher, is the unnamed narrator. The younger man is Sonny, a jazz pianist who, when the story opens, has just been arrested for peddling and using heroin.